Eric Kimmel’s Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (available at every JCC library) has become a beloved Hanukkah tale — whimsical, a little eerie, and profoundly Jewish at heart. Hershel, a wandering Jew, wanders upon a Jewish village on Hanukkah and notices that no one is lighting Hanukkah candles. The villagers tell him that a group […]

The small flames of the menorah have lit up Jewish life for centuries. Why has Hanukkah captured the Jewish heart, becoming one of the most beloved Jewish holidays? To understand, let’s explore three layers: the historical, the spiritual, and the personal. 1. The Historical: A Battle of Cultures Maimonides writes that the Greeks attempted “to […]